Rick was a good guy, but he wasn’t born for the city. I knew since I was bad and sometimes it even hurt me to live there. He wanted to save the weak and every night he would put on his mac , grab his hat and go out into the streets looking for problems.

But that night he found me. The target was near; at that distance it was impossible to make a mistake. Rick looked at me and tried to approach me to snatch the rifle, but I put my finger on the trigger and took a step back.

“Relax, I just want to speak,” he said, lifting his arms.

Destiny had brought us together. I liked money too much, and he was paid to find people like me. The rest was easy to imagine.

“When they get here, you’ll tell them it was me,” I told him without losing my aim, “and then they’ll kill me.”

Rick furrowed his brow and forged a half-smile, something he knew I liked. But this time there was no result.

“That’s not going to happen. Nobody needs to die tonight.”

“This time you’re wrong, Rick. Your client isn’t the one pretending.”

Police sirens could be heard in the distance. I glanced through the door out of the corner of my eye without losing sight of him. He seemed pensive and was hiding behind the brim of his hat.

“I know my clients,” he said.

“I know my victims.”

Rick was a good guy, but his client made deals with the mafia. He’d already decided who was to be trusted. Well, I had the rifle and I had also made up my mind.

“Do me a favour, Rick, get off the case and get out of here”, I begged him.

“I can’t, doll.”

The sirens were getting closer. If the police were to catch me; I’d end up in jail, the case would go public and Rick had just started hanging around those people. The target was so close it was impossible to miss. I pressed the trigger and blew my head off.